Detachable Carts Unleash the Full Potential of AMR-Assisted Picking
Although there’s a growing understanding of how autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can reduce warehouse travel, we need to be asking a much more important question. How can a real-world operation transform the efficiency of its fulfillment workflows by optimizing both robots and people?
If you’ve ever talked to anyone on our team in person, you know this is a challenge we’re passionate about solving. But it’s even more valuable to get insights from an industry leader who actually relies on the solutions we’re developing here at Zebra.
We recently had the pleasure of co-hosting a Modern Materials Handling webinar with Kyle Thompson, co-founder of Encore Fulfillment, and Cody Upp, Head of Sales and Solutions for Zebra Robotics Automation. During the presentation, Kyle described how deploying the system has helped Encore solve many of its biggest challenges, from reducing dependency on seasonal labor to improving client service levels. In addition, the company now benefits from data-driven insights that empower continuous improvements to its layout, staffing and inventory strategies.
Meeting Real-World Fulfillment Challenges
With Kyle’s keen eye for innovation, there are many AMR solutions he could have chosen to ensure his company’s competitive edge in the logistics industry. Before he settled on Zebra Symmetry™ Fulfillment, he evaluated multiple systems, with four considerations in mind:
1. Seamless integration with his company’s existing warehouse management system (WMS) and operational workflows
2. Improving efficiency, capacity and space utilization
3. A supplier with a “partnership mentality” offering flexible, scalable solutions
4. Rapid time-to-value and return on investment (ROI)
One of the key reasons Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment satisfies all of Kyle’s criteria is the way the system combines AMRs with detachable carts. By using the carts as a buffer, his operation is driving the utilization of both workers and robots. This allows work to be queued up at induction and takeoff without having any AMRs present.
“We’re still in late-stage deployment. But even with that, we’re seeing measurable improvements in our pick cycle times,” Kyle said.
Exceeding the Demands of Modern Logistics Operations
Webinar attendees were guided through the many strategic advantages of coordinating each picker with a team of robots in a precise, directed workflow, creating a perpetual picking cycle. Paired with the ability of the robots to decouple from the carts to keep the robots productive throughout the day and minimize dwell time, this forward-thinking approach enhances throughput, lowers cost per unit, and empowers operational decision-making.
Key benefits of this approach include:
- Utilization Balance: Cost-effective accumulation is achieved by buffering with inexpensive carts, minimizing the need for additional robots or labor.
- Greater Cubic Capacity: Using carts eliminates AMR wait times and boosts pick density, reducing the required robot count by up to 30% compared to solutions with integrated payloads, while handling up to 300% more capacity.
- Optimized Pick Paths: Orchestrated work assignments ensure that there’s never a robot without a picker or a picker without a robot, maximizing efficiency.
Growing Volume Within the Same Footprint
For a third-party logistics (3PL) operation like Encore — which has a wide variety of clients and a huge inventory of items with different dimensions — it’s important to be able to handle as much capacity as possible. The detachable cart strategy, underpinned by Zebra’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Team Intelligence picking methodology, has enabled Encore to increase volume without needing to expand its physical space.
“Warehouse space is our biggest liability,” Kyle explained. “So, if we can fit more capacity in the same amount of space, it really improves our metrics and bottom line.”
To hear more about Encore’s experience in deploying Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment and the early results achieved in their operations, check out a full recording of the webinar, Revolutionizing Fulfillment Efficiency: Unleashing the Potential of AMR-Assisted Picking.
